M’Hamid El Ghizlane · Moroccan Sahara
Experience the Sahara differently
Cultural, musical & nature journeys in M'Hamid El Ghizlane
At the gateway to the great Sahara, M’Hamid Guide invites you to meet a living land. From the silence of the dunes to the songs of the oases, from home cooking to musical creation, our journeys are designed together with the villagers, guides and artists of M’Hamid.
More than a gateway to the desert
M’Hamid - a land to meet
M’Hamid El Ghizlane is the last oasis of the Drâa Valley before the vast expanses of the Sahara.
A former crossroads of the caravan routes linking Morocco to sub-Saharan Africa, M’Hamid has been a meeting place for peoples, cultures, music and know-how for centuries.
Here, the journey begins before the dunes: in the palm grove, the old ksour, the mud-brick houses, the kitchens, the songs, the stories and the encounters with those who live in the oasis.
Our invitation: take the time to understand the land before setting off to explore it.
Discover M’Hamid El Ghizlane
We help you meet the land
M’Hamid Guide - your gateway to the Sahara
M’Hamid Guide designs and organises experiences that let you discover the Sahara differently.
We favour small groups, human encounters, local people and experiences that connect: Desert · Nature · Music · Heritage · Culture · Encounters.
Through Guide Zagora, M’Hamid Guide takes care of welcoming travellers, accommodation, bivouacs, catering, tours, stays in the oasis and the desert, as well as responsible musical and cultural tourism experiences.
Choose your way of experiencing the Sahara
The great experiences
Joudour Sahara lives all year round. Zamane is its great gathering.
Zamane Festival 2026
5th edition - “Ahidous”
3 to 6 December 2026 · M'Hamid El Ghizlane
Experience the 5th Zamane Festival from a comfortable bivouac, nestled among the superb dunes of M'Hamid El Ghizlane, at the gateway to the Sahara. Four days of music, art, encounters and sharing under the desert stars, with Ahidous - Amazigh song and poetry - as the common thread.
Jam sessions and festival life
On 5 and 6 December, from 11:00 pm, jam sessions under the stars in the Cultural Centre's dunes, for festival pass holders and guests. Throughout the festival: exhibitions, crafts, a producers' market, residencies, encounters and transmission.
Climate Encounters
The festival is also a space for ecological reflection: workshops and debates on ecology and the preservation of desert ecosystems, linked to the desertification and water-management issues specific to the Drâa Valley.
Announced artists
Oum · Bassekou Kouyaté · Julian Belbachir · Lahcen Achibane · Feelin's 9 · Daraa Tribes · Mohamed Malal · Sanae Jadoubi · Said Taragalte · Nour Joudour · 10 Ahidous groups from the Zagora province · Ahidous Tinghir · Ahidous Errachidia · Ahidous Midelt · Ahidous Moyen Atlas
The M’Hamid Guide signature
The Sahara in music
Music is one of the great signatures of M’Hamid Guide. Through the musicians of the region and the Joudour Sahara Music Program, travellers discover musical traditions as a living heritage.
To the Rhythm of the Desert Blues
A musical journey linking, depending on the itinerary, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, the Drâa Valley, M’Hamid and Chegaga. Kasbahs, oases, meetings with musicians, oasis songs, Ganga, Desert Blues, jam sessions and nomad evenings gradually shape the journey.
Staying at Joudour Sahara
A place of creation between oasis and desert
At the heart of the Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre, stay at the Artists’ Kasbah or in a comfortable bivouac, between oasis and desert. Our packages are suited to groups of 4 to 30 people, for musical journeys, artistic residencies, yoga retreats and stays around the Zamane Festival.
Enjoy local cuisine at the Saveurs Nomades restaurant, musical encounters and cultural activities. The Centre includes an auditorium, a multipurpose hall and outdoor spaces blended into the oasis landscape, in an earthen architecture inspired by the know-how of southern Morocco.
Music of the Drâa
Traditional song workshops, an introduction to Saharan instruments, meetings with musicians and the discovery of musical heritage.
Drâa Heritage
Evenings combining acoustic concerts, desert tales, encounters and local gastronomy.
Nomad Flavours
Discovering Saharan cultures through their cuisine: recipes, oasis produce, traditional meals and cooking workshops.
Heritage & Oasis
The Centre becomes a starting point towards the ksour, the palm grove, the artisans, the villagers and the cultural heritage of M'Hamid.
Architecture & Environment
Architecture inspired by the traditional techniques of southern Morocco and by bioclimatic principles suited to the desert climate. The place can serve as a starting point to talk about water, climate, earth construction and the resilience of the oases.
Youth & Transmission
A space for learning, practice and the transmission of musical heritage to the young people of the region.
Artistic residencies
The Centre can host residencies, concerts, jam sessions, masterclasses, workshops, collective creations and meetings between local, national and international artists.
Travel at the service of the land
M'Hamid Guide × Joudour Sahara Association
M'Hamid Guide (Guide Zagora) runs the tourism offer, in complementarity with the Joudour Sahara Association, which separately carries out its educational and cultural activities in M'Hamid: music, youth, creation, heritage and environment.
Welcome · Organise · Share discoveries
M'Hamid Guide / Guide Zagora
Guide Zagora develops and manages the tourism and commercial side: accommodation, bivouacs, catering, group hosting, stays, tours in the oasis and the desert, and responsible musical and cultural tourism services.
Pass on · Create · Preserve
Joudour Sahara Association
The association independently manages its cultural and musical programmes, artistic residencies, concerts, youth, training, heritage transmission, environmental projects, tree planting and the protection of the oasis.
Two distinct missions. One shared will: to keep the land alive.
Our commitmentTravel and contribute
Part of the tourism activity goes back to the land
As part of the commercial operation of the Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre, Guide Zagora pays the Joudour Sahara Association 15% of the turnover, excluding tax, generated by this operation.
The Association decides independently how this resource is used, and it may contribute to cultural and musical programmes, educational and youth activities, artistic residencies, heritage transmission, tree planting, the fight against desertification and the protection of the oasis.
“Your journey can thus help keep alive the land you have come to discover.”
Understand our modelTravel journal
News from the Sahara
Stories, encounters and news from M’Hamid, published directly in our newsletter.
The next stories will soon be available here.
Your host
Halim Sbai
Nature guide & bridge between cultures
A nature guide and tour designer for more than 25 years, Halim Sbai develops in M’Hamid an approach to travel that links tourism, heritage, music and the environment.
He is also the founder of the Zamane Festival and director of Joudour Sahara, a Playing For Change partner - and a member of the Drâa-Tafilalet Regional Tourism Council.
“The desert is not only visited. It is lived, listened to and shared.”
Meet your guideReady to experience the Sahara differently?
Browse our experiences or tell us about the stay you have in mind: our team will put together a programme for you.